TIACA awaits industry disruption

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) says it's waiting for its members to deliver disruption which could see the sector become more efficient and appealing to youth, reports Barbara Saunders

Speaking on the side lines of the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Abu Dhabi, TIACA CEO Sebastiaan Scholte said the air cargo supply chain is “an industry waiting to be disrupted” while Director Warren Jones spoke if its inability to attract young professionals because “it’s not sexy enough.”

Speaking of the lack of disruption within the supply chain, Scholte said: “It is not happening within the industry yet, but it will. Government intervention is not making it easy. Airports and the cargo communities are trying to open it up and the Gulf airports are seeing the impact it has.”

Scholte and Warren say TIACA is looking at becoming involved with universities to develop courses which will improve the industry’s standing in the eyes of young professionals.

“There’s a problem worldwide or recruiting young professionals into the industry because it’s just not sexy enough” said Warren. “But if young people understood it better, if they saw how we transport everything from elephants to Jimmy Choo’s to Formula 1 cars, we may be able to reverse the trend.”

The education approach would be particularly applicable to the Gulf, where young nationals steer away from the industry, according to Warren. “We have Gulf members on our board and this week talked about introducing this concept here. We have to get young people to understand the impact air cargo has throughout the world.”

Meanwhile, Scholte said the Middle East could be in the running for the 2022 TIACA International Air Cargo Forum & Exhibition bringing it back to the region for the first time since 1998. The biennial conference will be held in Toronto in 2018 and Miami in 2020.

“It would be good to return it to the region,” said Scholte. “It’s just a case of finding the right venue and support.”